More than 30 Democrats in the U.S. Senate on Friday called for the regulator of government-controlled Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to direct the companies to resume contributions for affordable housing initiatives, Reuters reported on Friday. The senators focused on two unused funds that Congress established in 2008 to finance low-income housing with a portion of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's revenue. The Federal Housing Finance Agency, the companies' regulator, suspended payments into the funds in November of that year, after the government seized the companies as mortgage losses mounted. After suffering huge losses, the companies have turned the corner and are now seeing record profits. The 33 lawmakers, led by Democrats Jack Reed of Rhode Island and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont, want the agency to resume contributing to the fund to help ameliorate a shortage of affordable housing for low-income Americans.
